In wake of the most recent Los Angeles Dodgers signing of Outfielder Teoscar Hernández for one-year/$23.5 million dollars, baseball fans continue the conversation on whether the MLB needs a salary cap. The answer is no.  

Many fans are upset that teams like the Dodgers can spend big money to get the best players who will likely become hall of famers, but what separates these teams? The need to win. Major League Baseball team owners show how much they want to win every season based on how much they are willing to spend on the best players.  

Out of the top-10 highest payrolls in the MLB in 2023, 6 of the 10 teams were in the postseason competing to win a World Series.  

The Texas Rangers, the reigning World Series champions, had the fourth highest payroll in the MLB spending$251,332,754. Big spending worked in their favor. Two of their biggest acquisitions in 2022, were Corey Seager who made $35 million in 2023 and Marcus Semien, ($26 million). Seager finished second and Semien third in the AL MVP voting behind Shohei Ohtani. Seager was the 2023 World Series MVP, won the AL Silver Slugger award for Shortstops and was All-MLB first team. 

The Philadelphia Phillies had the fifth highest payroll with $245,419,295. Despite finishing short of the World Series in 2023 compared to their 2022 season, they still had a solid season. They finished second in the National League East with 90 wins behind the blazing hot Atlanta Braves. The Phillies had 6 players on their roster making over $20 million.  

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to find themselves in the postseason because they have spent money on the best players like Mookie Betts ($27 million) and Freddie Freeman ($25 million). Both who finished in National League MVP voting behind Roñald Acuna Jr. The Dodgers had the sixth highest payroll with $240,278,296. Yes, they do struggle in the playoffs, however their regular season effort is not to go unnoticed. In 2023, they became the first MLB team with four straight 1oo, or more, win seasons.  

The Houston Astros did struggle this season, however they found themselves in the postseason for the seventh year in a row after spending $237,107,748, ranking seventh in the highest payrolls. After re-acquiring Justin Verlander ($43,333,333) he made up 18.86% of their payroll. They had two players in the MVP conversation, one of those players being Alex Bregman ($30,500,000) who made up 12.86% of the Astros payroll. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are still trying to find their way back to being World Series Champions since winning back-to-back World Series in ‘92 and ‘93. They ranked ninth after spending $214,630,885. 

Lastly, the Atlanta Braves spent the least out of these teams, ranking tenth as they spent $206,239,131. The Braves went into the postseason as the best team in baseball. They crushed their division and crushed MLB records, but they were bounced out after losing to the Phillies 3 games t0 1 in the NLDS. 

Dumping a bag of cash on all the best MLB players will not earn a team a World Series, ask the Dodgers. However, big spending gives a team a better chance of getting their foot in the door to make it to the postseason and when postseason baseball rolls around anything can happen.  

Nonetheless, if more owners spend big, competing with other front offices, the discussion for a salary cap would not exist.  

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The Clark Atlanta men’s basketball program refuses to lose. They traveled to Clayton State University and kept the undefeated season alive following an 87-78 victory in Morrow Wednesday night.

The Panthers moved their record to 6-0 and prepare to travel to Alabama to play Spring Hill College on Saturday, December 6 (2 p.m. tipoff).

Wednesday’s game was a hard-fought battle, especially in the first half as CAU only led by 5 points at halftime. There were 6 ties and 4 lead changes until Clark Atlanta secured their lead. Late in the first half with the game tied at 31, Panthers guard Chris Martin drove to the basket to give his team the lead. After a missed Lakers three-pointer, Panthers Jalen NeSmith showed off his range and drained a three of his own. NeSmith and Martin would go on to add three more points on trips to the foul line.  

CAU scored 22 points in the paint and carrying their inside-scoring into the second dropping 20 points.  

“We were looking to execute and get the ball into the post and take advantage because we knew that was one of their weaker points defensively. Our [big men] did what they had to do, and our guards got into the paint and made it tough for them.” CAU Panthers head coach Alfred Jordan expressed.  

Panthers Martin (31 points), Andrew Stewart (11 points) and forward Shemani Fuller (16 points) lead the charge combining for 58 points.  

After a trip to the line for Clayton State, NeSmith (6 points, tied for team-high with 4 assists) displayed his defense and playmaking as the Panthers added four more points on their next two drives. NeSmith dished the ball to Demetrius Headspeth in the paint for two. Immediately after, NeSmith collected a steal and picked up another assist hitting Fuller on the fastbreak. Fuller capped off the run with the same way he started it, a basket in the paint. 

Things got chippy between both teams towards the end of the fourth with The Panthers and the Lakers each picking up technical fouls. Benches cleared with 1.8 seconds left in the game and after nearly a 10-minute delay.

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On Thursday, Nov. 30, Clark Atlanta University held a press conference at L.S. Epps Gymnasium to introduce its new head football coach Teddy Keaton.  

Keaton succeeds previous Panthers head football coach Willie Slater, who had been hired two seasons ago, and interim head coach Richard Moncrief.  Since his first job as an assistant coach at his alma mater Stillman College, Keaton, a 26-year veteran of the coaching profession, had held several jobs including as the head coach for two teams in the American Indoor Football Alliance.

Keaton is also no stranger to the SIAC. Before arriving at Allen University in 2018, he served as the running back coach for Miles College in 2017. Between 2018 and 2023, while at Allen University his teams recorded 18 wins and 28 losses. Their best season came this past season when he led the Yellow Jackets to a 7-3 record. One of those victories was a 35-27 score against CAU on Saturday, Oct. 7 in South Carolina.

During the press conference, Keaton reflected on that game against the Panthers, saying, “I thought they played with a lot of competitive spirit. They came and gave us a fight,” he said. “I had to make some adjustments because they came out with a whole different game plan than we had ever seen on film.” He also made mention of the performances of Panthers players during the game such as defensive back Cameron Ivey, running back Daquon Kincey, and running back Jeremiah Gibbs.  

He Keaton added, “When I see that kind of fight in a team, that means they want to win.”  

During his introductory comments, Keaton emphasized winning as his priority.

“Winning does not look easy at first. It is going to get messy, and you have to fall in love with the process first,” he said. “We are going to work every day to be a champion.” 

Expectations are high for CAU football, according to Keaton. “Any expectations that you guys may have for this program, trust me my expectations exceed them.” 

One statement Keaton wants Panthers students, fans and alumni to understand is, “This day will be the day that we turn Clark Atlanta football back into a winner,” he said.

The Panthers finished the 2023 season 0-10 and have won a combined five games during the past 3 seasons.  

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On this Veteran’s Day, The Atlanta Voice is highlighting members of the community that have served this country.

Jeff Reylemon is better known on the campus of Clark Atlanta University as “Mr. Jeff”. Reylemon has been a chef in CAU’s cafeteria for more than two decades. Prior to making the students of CAU smile every day, Reylemon served in the United States Army for 22 years and 9 months.  

Mr. Jeff comes from a long line of men in his family who served in the Army. He shared that his 5 brothers served all served this country as members of the military; two of them served 20 years and one served 17 years. That legacy of service began with Reylemon’s father who served 30 years in the Army.  

When Mr. Jeff shared what the Army had taught him, he said, “It taught me obedience, responsibility, and leadership,” he continued, “It taught me to be a man. All about the goods and bads.”  

Reylemon was stationed all over the country and the world, “I can start with Kentucky, Korea, Germany, and Alaska.” After thinking of more places he had been stationed, he added Fort Stewert, Georgia and the former Fort Bragg, North Carolina where the base is now known as Fort Liberty.  

Before leaving the Army, Reylemon earned the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC/E-7).  

He gave insight on how he transitioned from the Army to Clark Atlanta University. “I already looked into employment for civilian work once I got out,” he said. “My first job was as a manager at a Chevron store. They went out of business after two years. My wife and brother-in-law told me about this place and told me they were hiring.”  

The rest as they say is history.

“I love the students, I love the people, I love the cooking, I love it all. I just enjoy making people happy,” Reylemon said. He said that’s what he loves most about CAU.  

He brings the same fun energy every day in the cafeteria. He is known on campus for always yelling “CAU, we got the hot fresh golden fries,” every time he cooks a new batch of fries for the students. He brings joy to CAU’s campus and has been doing it since he arrived at CAU.

Thank you for your service to this country and to the Atlanta University Center.

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Paramount has released their new show “Lawman: Bass Reeves,” on their streaming service, Paramount+. The show is based on a true story that follows the life and journey of Reeves, a former slave turned Deputy U.S. Marshall in Mississippi during the Jim Crow Era. Reeves is played by “Selma,” actor David Oyelowo, who also serves as the Executive Producer.  

On Monday, Nov. 6, the Peachtree Village International Film Festival held a private screening of the show’s first episode at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema. In attendance was one of the directors of the series, Damian Marcano. After the screening, Marcano sat down for an interview with WCLK radio host Ray Cornelius and Clark Atlanta University student producer Ella Star. 

Marcano was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the United States when he was 12 years old. During his professional career, Marcano directed episodes for shows like “Snowfall,” “Winning Time,” and “American Gigolo”. 

Marcano’s Director of Photography shared the script for the series and the director admitted, “I did not have all the research. Bass Reeves was not a person I heard of. We do not have this history where I come from,” he said.  “I just related to something in the script. A man made me feel like he was purpose driven as I am,” he added. “I never heard anything triumphant come out of that period for people of color.” 

When describing the stories and the history of the characters in the show and specifically the Black women who played a role in Bass’ life, he expressed, “Let’s just not have a show where we say, ‘que the beating,’ or ‘bring the slave in.’ Let’s have a show where we wonder who this man is and who his family is and who is everything to him.” 

“Lawman: Bass Reeves,” was filmed in Texas, but was not filmed on a set. Marcano emphasized, “We built the location. These places did not exist,” he continued, “As a director or even as actors in this business, we do not get to go a lot of places and shoot 360 degrees.”  

Pride is what Marcano wants Black people to take away from the show and he describes the show as, “A representation of greatness.” 

“Lawman: Bass Reeves,” is eight episodes long. Marcano directed episodes 4-6. Episodes 1-3 and 7-8 are directed by Christiana Alexandra Voros. The first two episodes are currently streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes released every Sunday. 

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In the last game of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) football season, Morehouse College defeated Clark Atlanta University 35-21 Saturday afternoon. Both the Maroon Tigers and Panthers went into the affair with 0-9 overall records.

Out of the gate, the Maroon Tigers blocked a Panther punt that was recovered in the end zone by Maroon Tiger sophomore Jalen Brown for a touchdown. 

A series of turnovers, penalties, and skirmishes followed that did not have effect on the game until late in the quarter during a Maroon Tigers’ offensive drive. A late hit out of bounds hit by Panthers freshman defensive back Seth Brooks warranted an unnecessary roughness penalty to put Morehouse in the red zone. 

On the next play, Maroon Tigers freshman running back Jaiden Jones collected his first touchdown of the day rushing into end zone giving Morehouse a 14-0 advantage.

The Panthers opened the second quarter with an eight-play drive that was ended in a score when junior wide receiver Devion Newson displayed his athleticism by leaping over his defender in the end zone to put the Panthers on the board, 14-6. That would be Newson’s only touchdown of the day. 

Morehouse would answer back on their next offensive possession with some help from the Panthers defense. A face mask penalty put Morehouse deep in Clark territory which led to an 11-yard touchdown run by J0nes, his second of the game.

Clark Atlanta came close to scoring again on their next offensive drive towards the end of the half. Morehouse’s defense made their presence known by stopping Panthers junior running back Daquan Kincey, one of the top running backs in the SIAC, at the 1-yd line to end the half.  

To open the half, the Panthers were forced to punt on their opening drive. After Morehouse sophomore Brogan Korta collected an interception earlier on defense, he upped the score on offense by receiving his first touchdown pass of the day. 

CAU answered back halfway through the quarter on a speedy 40-yard run by junior running back Josef Douglass and converted a two-point conversion to draw closer, 28-14.

Korta’s second touchdown of the day came on a middle of the field pass into the in-zone to open the fourth. Following the touchdown, freshman Billy Johnson put CAU at Morehouse’s 21-yard line on a 49-yard kick return. Douglass quickly finished off the two-play drive, spinning out of a tackle in the back field, and rushing into the end zone and making CAU’s deficit 14 points.

There wouldn’t be enough time however and Morehouse has now defeated Clark Atlanta in each of the last four seasons. The Maroon Tigers once again have secured bragging rights in the AUC until these teams meet again in 2024.

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HBCU Week has gained a new sponsor. The General Motors Company (GM) has joined many other sponsors in HBCU Week’s mission to, “to encourage high-school aged youth to enroll into HBCUs, provide scholarship dollars for matriculation and sustain a pipeline for employment from undergraduate school to corporate America.” 

HBCU Week hosted a college fair in Atlanta during October where thousands of students from many of the country’s HBCUs attended. Prior to that, the HBCU Week Foundation held a VIP reception inviting sponsors, scholars, and HBCU recruiters.  

During this reception, GM unveiled their new “Make History with GM and HBCUs,” commercial, highlighting diversity, equity, and inclusion within GM. Alumni and students at HBCUs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), such as Prairie View A&M University, Jackson State University, Southern University, Grambling State University, Bethune-Cookman University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Florida A&M University, Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, and Texas Southern University. 

In addition, the founder of HBCU Week, Ashley Christopher, Esq., the GM Multicultural Marketing Assistant Manager, David Milledge, II, and the Majority Creative Director of the GM Commercial, Jess Noel were also in attendance. 

Noel, a FAMU alumni, verbalized commercial, “The vision, initially, was how do we continue to elevate the commitment that GM has to HBCUs into the SWAC, while also maintaining authenticity, keeping our diverse audiences in mind, and to tell an artful, beautiful story of HBCUs and their legacies and their contributions to society.”   

Christopher is a double HBCU alumni of Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia.  

While talking to Christopher, shared that HBCU Week came to life as an idea back at her home in Wilmington, Delaware. She wanted to use HBCU Week to expose high school students to HBCUs.  

When talking about the partnership with GM Christopher expressed, “The partnership has been a dream from the start,” she continued, “When my foundation looks for partnerships it is never just transactional, we have to align with our moral compasses and our missions, and GM does just that,” Lastly, she added, “We are impacting the world with diversity, equity, and inclusion and to have a partner with a platform as large as GM to help us expand that message has been a gift. 

Milledge, who is an alumnus of Tuskegee University, voiced that GM inspires to be the most inclusive company which is a reason the partnership with HBCU makes sense. 

To close off the reception, GM issued a statement to the Atlanta Voice saying, “Our 2023 sponsorship of HBCU Week is a natural extension for us to lean into an organization that supports individuals and communities of color through their deeds and focus on developing a diverse pipeline of talent.” 

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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets hosted Clark Atlanta University in an exhibition game Wednesday night. Georgia Tech won the game 95-71.

The Yellow Jackets separated themselves from the Panthers due to success from the 3-point line and the free throw line. 

CAU opened the first half scoring 4 points, but a three from Yellow Jackets sophomore guard Amaree Abram started a 9-0 run for Georgia Tech. The Panthers would not score again until sophomore forward Dez’Mond Perkins knocked down a mid-range jumper. 

The Panthers started to battle back, but three Yellow Jackets led the charge to secure a 15-point lead by the end of the half. Sophomore forward Tafara Gapare (9 points) scored the majority of his points came from his 100 percent free throw percentage during the first half. Yellow Jackets junior guard Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (19 points), and Abram (18 points) combined for 15 points first half points off 3-pointers alone.  

In the second half, Clark found themselves at the free throw line, drawing fouls from Georgia Tech’s aggressive style of play. Three Yellow Jackets fouled out of Wednesday’s game. Tech collected 15 personal fouls in the second half. The Panthers shot 25 free throws and counted 16.  

The case for Clark getting to the free throw line was not enough as Tech’s 5th year senior guard Kyle Sturdivant cashed in a 3-pointer to give Georgia Tech a 24-point lead late into the half. This was the largest lead of the game.  

Despite the loss, Clark showed promising signs of what is to come this season. The Panthers showed that shooting beyond the arch will be a point of emphasis this season. 

The Panthers will play their final exhibition game against Mercer University in Macon on November 6 before the regular season begins. 

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Clark Atlanta University has found their new head football coach after previous head coach Willie Slater was fired last Monday. Coach Richard Moncrief was previously the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Panthers. 

As a way for Moncrief to connect with the student body at CAU, he and the Clark Atlanta athletic department are beginning to host ‘Coffee with Moncrief’, a question and answer session that will take place once a week.

Moncrief, who played quarterback at Clemson University from 1990 to 1993, has spent time at multiple institutions in multiple divisions throughout his coaching career. His coaching career ranges from high school to Division one institutions such as Alabama State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

“All of those experiences taught me something, in themselves, that was very unique. The game is bigger than just football, it is about relationships,” Coach Moncrief shared during the Q&A. 

In most of his previous stops he served as an assistant coach, offensive coordinator and/or quarterback coach. However, this is not his first rodeo at CAU. Coach Moncrief first served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2015 through 2018. During that initial stint he coached former quarterback Jonathan McCrary, the 2016 SIAC Newcomer of the Year.  

The Panthers are having a rough season as they are still looking to win their first game, plus the team has been losing key players due to injuries. How is Coach Moncrief looking to finish the season in the win column? He is adopting a popular mindset to implement in the team’s game plan every week.  

“We want to have a 1 and 0 mindset. It is easy to look down the road when you start talking about football, but the focus needs to be right now, this moment.” He continued, “Between those two hours, inside the lines, if [the team] can maintain their focus and give maximum effort, we can take care of what we have to do week by week.” 

Later in the Q&A, Coach Moncrief paid his respects to Coach Slater, his legacy, and talked about what he has learned from Coach Slater.  

“Coach Slater is a legendary SIAC coach. His record is unmatched by anyone who has coached in this conference. He brought a level of toughness and an old school hard nose mentality that I am definitely going to try to implement into my coaching style.” He added, “I am forever grateful for him, simply because he gave me an opportunity to learn and coach under his leadership.” 

The Panthers’ (0-7 overall, 0-5 in SIAC) playoff chances are slim, but Moncrief has a plan to help the team stay optimistic. 

“Football is a game. When you have a game what is your objective? To play. When you play something, you are supposed to have fun. Anytime we have an opportunity to go out on the grass, we understand how to compartmentalize things. Yesterday may have been a bad day, but we look forward to the next day to get out there and do what we love.” 

The Panthers have four games remaining in the season, including homecoming against Central State University on Saturday, October 21, and the ‘Battle of the AUC,’ against Morehouse College on Saturday, November 1.  

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The CAU Lady Panthers were on fire coming into last week’s double header, winning 4 out of their last 5 games during the SIAC Volleyball Crossover Tournament.

CAU weas swept by the Georgia College & State University Lady Bobcats, but won their second match against the Talladega College Tornadoes moving their season record to 8-6. 

GAME TWO 

Game two came down to the final set. The Tornados and Lady Panthers gave the crowd some truly nail-biting entertainment. Despite dropping the fourth set and allowing the Tornadoes to force a fifth, the Lady Panthers did not let the pressure get to them.  

Clark Atlanta head coach Joelle Mafo said, “We were resilient in the second match.” She further explained, “At the end, we pulled through as a team to try and focus on winning the game.” 

Towards the end of the match, Clark Atlanta found themselves at match point leading by two, but before they won the match, the Tornadoes cut the deficit by tying the game at 14 on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Kiana Polk and an attack error from the Lady Panthers.  

CAU now needed two more points to take the match. They applied pressure, scoring their game winning points off two errors from the Tornadoes.  

What got both teams to the fifth set? The best answer may be inconsistency.  

Coach Maf0 shared, “[Our consistency] is poor. That is one thing we are struggling with consistently with offense and defense. This is something that has been a point of focus for a whole season this year.” 

The set that the Lady Panthers lost, they had 8 or less kills. Also, they had nearly the same number of kills and errors. In set two CAU had 6 kills and 4 errors. In set four, they had 7 kills and 8 errors.  

Similarly, the Tornadoes had 7 kills and 9 errors in set 1, 8 kills and 4 errors in set 3, and 5 kills and 2 errors in set 5.  
 

Game two belonged to anyone. The Lady Panther just delivered when the match needed them most.  

26 assists from sophomore setter Sanaa Simmons, 13 assists from junior setter Allanah Drayton-Campbell, and 16 kills from junior outside hitter Shynique Mcgee led to the win for CAU. 

GAME ONE 

The Lady Panther’s struggled defensively, and they had to rely on their offense to carry them most of the game, but the Lady Bobcats dominated on offense and defense. The Lady Panthers had their backs against the wall the entire match and they could not get a comfortable lead in any of the 3 sets. 

Many aspects played a role in the loss, according to Mafo, “In the first match we had a lack of focus.” She continued, commenting on the energy of the team, “[The energy] was down. We had a couple of starters and starters in their head overthinking.”  

Miscommunication hurt the team as well. The Lady Panthers had to deal with their main starting Libero, freshman Nakalya James, being injured. Coach Mafo added, “I had my second Libero on, and she is very hesitant to take charge and we are going to be working on that.” 

Both teams showed a lot of fight in the first two sets with 15 ties total, but the Lady Panthers defense woes showed towards the end of the sets. In fact, both sets ended nearly the same. After Clark scored their 19th point, the Lady Bobcats answered back scoring 8 straight points to take set 1. The Lady Bobcats took set two scoring 7 straight points after the Lady tied the set at 18. 

The performances from McGee and Campbell are not to go unnoticed. McGee led CAU with 14 kills in 23 attempts and Campbell played a significant role in Mcgee’s performance with 13 assists.  

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